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16 COLUMN EXCELLENT 17
CIVIL SERVANT
Ria Rio
n December 1st, 2020 I was accompanying When I was a journalist, I had a chance to
my friends at TV One to shoot a program cover some activist friends who opened up
Oin Ria Rio reservoir. Some of amphibious informal school for the kids of scavengers
excavators were currently dredging mud in the who lived around the area. My friends at the
26 hectare reservoir located in Pulo Mas Utara previous office had also achieved Indonesian
street, Kayu Putih subdistrict, Pulo Gadung, East Broadcasting Commission award for its Arang
Jakarta. The reservoir is able to contain rainwater Ria Rio feature, a touching TV program about a
up to 170 cubic meter, for it is 5-6 meter deep. man who make coconut shell charcoal around
The mud would be removed to the side of the the area of Ria Rio. During the making of the
reservoir as to prevent sedimentation—such a program, the reservoir area was filled with huts.
work of patience and determination.
Because of the siltation, the reservoir gets
The work has been going on for nine months, overflow often. It even gets overflowed to
as part of Gerebek Lumpur (river dredging) Perintis Kemerdekaan, a street nearby the
program which aim to dredge 13 rivers and tens area, of which it displaced the local residents.
of reservoirs in the capital city. “The project Fortunately, the reservoir has changed: there
is being done in order to prevent and reduce are beautiful parks around with various plants—
potential puddle during rainy season. Even in from fruit trees like mango to the rare ones like
the midst of COVID-19 situation, which causes baobab tree. The parks are also completed with
more and more victims each day, our personnel comfortable seats, provided for people to enjoy
from Sudin and agencies keep on doing their the breeze and the scenery of the reservoir.
job,” explained Juaini Yusuf, head of Jakarta
Water Resources Agency. The face of Ria Rio reservoir has changed, not
In the1950s, the area was still a swamp. Then only as a reservoir made to contain rainwater
in around 1960s, former governor Ali Sadikin but also a green open spaces and recreational
constructed the reservoir in order to solve flood place. It took times as long as the age of this
risk on the area. The dredged soil from the country for the change. And I was stunned, as I
reservoir development was used to build Pulo saw a friend paddling a rubber boat he brought
Mas horse racetrack, located not far from Ria from the house. While in the background, behind
Rio reservoir. the clumps of trees that grow by the side of the
reservoir, there are apartments and malls: the
Its unique name, named after singer Emilia silent witness to this changing time.
Contessa’s husband and father of the rapper
Denada, Rio Tambunan, who was also the boss Gerebek Lumpur (river dredging) and park Yudhistira Nugraha:
of PT Pulomas Jaya. While the word Ria derived development are the programs initiated by the
from Indonesian word riak (ripples) which government of Jakarta to solve flood problems Achievements from
pictures the rippling water on the reservoir. In in our city—a conclusive evidence was shown
the old times, when the water was still clean, in the development of Ria Rio reservoir. This has
the reservoir was used to be an area for to be followed by the action from our people:
swimming, washing and served as a playing to build vertical drainages in housings and Innovations
field, completed with a facility to watch layar buildings, to clean waterways in our area, and
tancap (traditional outdoor movie screenings). other things. Hence, this collaborative work,
But it later became unmainted. By 2013, Ria held by the government and the residents ,
Rio reservoir became severely silted up by will also be implemented in every Kampung Under his leadership, Jakarta Smart City (JSC) has successfully
trashes, waste and thriving water-hyacinth. The Tangguh Bencana (disaster resilient villages) gained various achievements—the fruits of his innovations in
water became dark and smelly as most of the with its three key steps: Siaga, Tanggap, Galang developing smart city technology.
reservoir sides were filled with toilet rooms. (Ready, Responsive, Act).
Ramdan Malik
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